


the soft hum of nothingness whispered between hearts

by sun_dance



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Cabin, Fluff, M/M, beardsss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:29:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sun_dance/pseuds/sun_dance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone always assumes that when they go to a quiet planet, it’s Leonard’s idea.</p>
<p>This assumption is, in fact, completely untrue. Leonard likes to visit a bustling metropolis, planets made of glass, or hell – even an overpriced paradise resort would be fine. Free reign over a spa, swimming every morning and napping the afternoon away; Leonard loves those places above all else. They remind him of home - not that he'll ever admit going to a spa.</p>
<p>Jim, on the other hand, likes going somewhere so far from civilization Leonard thinks they’ve entered another dimension. And they had, that one time, so he had something to compare it to; that had been a pretty terrifying mishap that sent them into a world where everything was exactly as it was in their own dimension, except there were no people in the entire universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the soft hum of nothingness whispered between hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Ficlet based on [this gif](http://24.media.tumblr.com/f7ce448f5b158f8ab49e8529b29bafff/tumblr_mzvb7c8SB11toke85o1_500.gif).

Everyone always assumes that when they go to a quiet planet, it’s Leonard’s idea.

This assumption is, in fact, completely untrue. Leonard likes to visit a bustling metropolis, planets made of glass, or hell – even an overpriced paradise resort would be fine. Free reign over a spa, swimming every morning and napping the afternoon away; Leonard loves those places above all else. They remind him of home - not that he'll ever admit going to a spa.

Jim, on the other hand, likes going somewhere so far from civilization Leonard thinks they’ve entered another dimension. And they had, that one time, so he had something to compare it to; that had been a pretty terrifying mishap that sent them into a world where everything was exactly as it was in their own dimension, except there were no people in the entire universe.

So when Leonard kicks open the door to a tiny cabin, his bag slung over his shoulder, it's with a scowl..

“Jim, why can’t we go to Timber Falls like the  _rest_  of the damn ship?”

“Because, Bones,” Jim grinned, elbowing his way in beside him. The cabin was suffocatingly tiny, or so it was according to Leonard. “I want you all to myself this weekend.”

“You could’ve had me all to yourself in a hotel,” Leonard muttered. He walked into the open space and dropped his bag on the bed. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration; it was a small log cabin high up in the mountains, sitting right on the edge of a tarn. The trees were all Terran-like, except their greens were seemingly more lush and vivid. That could also be chalked up to the fact that Leonard hadn’t  _seen_  Terran plants in what felt like a lifetime. Sulu tended to just keep the exotics around.

The cabin had a small kitchen – not even a kitchen, really; just a wood-burning stove, an icebox, a sink, and a single cabinet of various supplies – as well as a bathroom (Leonard had promised Jim that if there wasn’t a bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet, he’d have a nice long vacation with just his hand for company), a desk, and a two-chair kitchen table.

“Bones, I’ve seen you in a hotel. You’re like a kid in a candy store. You go from the spa to the gym to the beach to – well, to everywhere but me.” Jim frowned, disliking the absolute whine in his voice. “I promise, this won’t be so bad.” He dropped his bag onto the floor, closing the distance between them. “We always go where you wanna go, anyway. It’s my turn, you said so.”

“I know,” Leonard grumbled, tugging Jim against him by the belt loops. He nosed his way down Jim’s jaw to the bend in his neck, smiling into his skin when the young captain tilted his head away. “I guess it can’t be that bad,” he whispered, nipping lightly with his teeth. A low moan of appreciation bubbled forth from Jim’s mouth, and the next thing he knew, Leonard was falling back onto the bed. Jim landed squarely on top of him, his kiss all teeth and tongue and pressing Leonard’s hands into the mattress above his head.

Maybe this cabin in the woods deal wasn’t so bad, after all?

* * *

 

He woke up the next morning without any clue as to what time it was. He just knew that he had to pee really bad, and the cabin was absolutely freezing. He could see his breath hovering above his face with every exhale, and the worst part of it was the empty bed beside him.

He sat bolt upright, trying to quell the chattering of his teeth, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Jim couldn’t have gone far or gotten into trouble, but there was always that space in between sleep and awake where, when Jim was gone, he panicked. Regardless, he flung back the covers and shivered his way into the bathroom for a hot shower, grumbling the whole time about murdering his husband if he made it back in one piece.

When he slipped out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and took a few moments to brush his teeth. Either the steam from his shower had warmed the tiny room considerably, or something was amiss. Leonard was halfway through cleaning his tongue when he smelled it – smoke – and flung open the door. Three steps out, his hair still dripping water down his chest and back, and he realized the cabin wasn’t on fire; Jim – sitting at the small table in thick jeans, a flannel shirt, a knitted cap, and wet boots – was busy picking splinters out of his palms.

“Hey, Bones. It was a bit chilly this morning, wasn’t it? Went to grab firewood, got lost. Found my way back, though.”

“You don’t say,” Leonard drawled around his toothbrush. He switched it to the other side of his mouth and wiped at the toothpaste drizzling down his chin. “Wasn’t looking forward to morning sex  _at all_ ,” he muttered, turning back into the bathroom.

“It’s still morning,” Jim called out, his grin hopeful.

Leonard snorted and replied over his shoulder. “Sorry, kid; that ship sailed. Oh, I hope you weren’t wanting to shower. I used all the hot water.”

“Bastard!” Jim called out, but he was still grinning.

It wasn’t until Leonard left the bathroom and crossed to his duffel that Jim looked up again, eyeing his bare ass with appreciation.

“Damn, Bones, I’d jump you right now if it weren’t for the half a tree stuck in my hands,” Jim said, his voice low and gravelly and it made the hair on the back of Leonard’s neck stand on end.

“Too bad,” Leonard tisked. He pulled a pair of briefs up his muscular legs and adjusted the waistband. Now that there was a fire going, he almost didn’t need clothes, but he pulled on a pair of sweatpants anyway and crossed back to Jim. “How bad?” He asked, sitting down next to Jim. Without waiting for an answer, he peeled one of Jim’s hands away from the table and sighed softly. “You could give a porcupine a run for its money.”

“I know. Fix it,” Jim pouted, holding out both hands palms-up.

“You never want me to fix you,” Leonard pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Jim smirked, licking his lips, “but you aren’t gonna let me touch you until they’re all gone.”

Leonard stood up, dropping a kiss on Jim’s cheek. “Consider it punishment for letting me wake up alone and freezing,” he murmured, and straightened as he passed further into the kitchen. “Want pancakes?”

“Always,” Jim frowned, turning to follow Leonard with his gaze. “Whatever happened to ‘do no harm’? Or, ‘in sickness and in health’, hm?”

Leonard rolled his eyes. “I ain’t doin’ you no harm, darlin’; and I never said I had to heal you in sickness, I just agreed not to leave you for it.” He started compiling ingredients for breakfast, enjoying the heat radiating from the stove while Jim turned back to the task of removing the forest from his hands. It was a bigger feat than either of them realized, thanks to Jim’s rough skin and its tendency to cling to the splinters. Once the pancakes were ready, Leonard gave in, and spent half of the morning picking Jim’s hands clean.

“Thank you,” Jim sighed at last, flexing his hands. He leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of Leonard’s mouth, but the doctor turned and caught him full on, immediately pressing his tongue into Jim’s mouth. They tasted similar but different, thanks to their personalized toppings; chocolate chips for Jim, fruit for Leonard, and the latter enjoyed sucking the sweetness off his lover’s tongue. He was about to pull Jim back to bed when the younger man drew back, seemingly unaffected, and grinned.

“Come on, Bones. Let’s go for a hike.” Jim stood up before Leonard could protest, taking both their plates to the small sink to soak.

“I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing weekend,” Leonard pouted, but crossed to his bag anyway to pull out a long-sleeved thermal and a couple extra layers.

“You never relax. Even in the spa, you’re always doing something taxing. Besides, the guy I talked to about this place told me about a great viewspot up the mountain. We should be back before dark.”

“Before  _dark?_  Jim, we don’t know this place. You already got lost once today…”

“So? Where’s your sense of adventure, Bones?” Jim was already pulling on his outer layers again, and Leonard sat down on the bed with a sigh.

“When are you gonna learn that I don’t have one?” He retorted, tugging first one boot on and then the other, before doing up the laces.

“When you admit that you so, totally, do.” Jim grinned and walked over to him, looking simultaneously swamped by his big coat and devilishly handsome, somehow, even though the monstrosity was hunter’s orange and decked out in pointless camouflage.

“That camouflage is pointless,” Leonard muttered, shaking his head.

“It’s all they had,” Jim rolled his eyes. “How can you say you have no sense of adventure when you married me?”

“Because, darlin’,” he rumbled, pulling Jim down to his lap. “You were worth the risk.” He dropped a lengthy kiss against Jim’s mouth, and had the ugly jacket halfway off his shoulders before Jim pulled back.

“Hey,” he laughed, withdrawing to his feet to shrug it back on. “If it'll make you feel better, I’ll lift the no technology rule, and you can bring your comm in case we do get lost. Engineering can just beam us onboard and then right back here.”

“Fine,” Leonard huffed, pulling out his own heavy parka. He zipped it up to his chin and pulled on a cap similar to Jim’s before flicking the hood up and over.

They did, in fact, get lost.

But they also found the viewpoint, and it was breathtaking; stretched out for miles was a sea of green, and they stood together watching the trees bend and sway with the wind. Leonard wasn't sure how long they just stood and watched, but the sky was beginning to darken when they finally started back.

Eventually, they made it back to the cabin, stomachs rumbling.

The next few days passed similarly and all too quickly. They hiked to the top every morning, taking varied paths back to the cabin. Lunch was caught in the glacial lake the cabin sat on, although Leonard had been skeptical that the fish-like creatures were edible. Despite his misgivings, Jim seasoned them perfectly with salt and pepper and a little bit of lemon, and they ate lunch quietly together in the early afternoons.

In the evenings, they sometimes read to each other – the reader sitting upright and the listener draped across their lap. Often, these sessions devolved into shameless attempts to break the other’s concentration. Jim broke easily every time, where Leonard had a steel resolve and didn't once give in, not even when Jim cheated and mouthed at his dick.

On their last night in the cabin, Leonard was less than unwilling to admit he’d miss the place.

“It’s quiet,” he observed, stroking through Jim’s hair. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”

Jim hummed his agreement, pressing his lips to the bottom of Leonard’s clavicle. “We can come back, then? Not every time, but occasionally?”

“Absolutely,” Leonard nodded, pulling Jim closer. “One more trip to the top?” It was dark, but by now they had the path there memorized, so Jim nodded.

When the task of pulling on their winterwear was complete, they set off, their pace leisurely and their hands linked loosely together. They crested the hill and stood there for only a few minutes before Jim turned to him.

“Is it just me, or is it colder than usual up here?”

“It was clear today. No clouds to keep the heat in.”

“Right,” Jim smiled, squeezing his hand. “Check out that moon, though.”

“Moons,” Leonard corrected, but turned his gaze skyward. There were three moons all but filling up the night sky, casting bright light down upon them. “Let’s head back. Bearded though we may be, it’s still cold as hell.”

“Too bad these are against regulation,” Jim grinned, stroking over his own growth. “You look good.”

“As do you, dear husband, but Starfleet hasn’t changed their minds and they probably never will. Be happy I grow it out on leave for you, because this thing itches like crazy.”

Jim’s smile was mocking as he took Leonard’s hand and pulled him back toward the cabin. “Aww, Bonesy,” he teased.

“Shut up, kid, I’ve seen you goin’ to town, too.”

That seemed to do the trick, for Jim fell silent until they stamped their feet on the porch.

“What do you wanna do tonight, kid?”

“Not sure,” Jim mused, opening the door. He kicked off his boots just inside the door, leaving them on a spare towel to dry, and Leonard followed suit. He quickly shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on a hook, then crossed the room to get the fire lit. It sputtered to life easily, still warm from their morning flames, and soon he was wiping his hands and turning back toward Jim.

He set to the task of removing as many layers as quickly as possible, for the cabin was starting to heat up and he was starting to sweat. Leonard was down to his pants, suspenders, and black thermal when he heard the creak of the bed as Jim sat down.

“Wait,” Jim whispered, leaning back on his hands. Leonard glanced up, taking note of the deep blue of Jim’s eyes and the way his eyes raked slowly down over his torso. The thermal clung tight around his chest and biceps, and he smirked at his husband.

“Yes?” Leonard asked, innocently turning towards Jim and hooking his thumbs into his suspenders.

Jim swallowed, forcing his eyes back up to Leonard’s. The look in Jim's eyes sent fire straight through Leonard's gut, nearly knocked the wind out of the doctor’s lungs it was so intense.

“You look good, that’s all.” Jim tilted his chin up a fraction and nearly purred his next request. “Strip for me. Slowly.” And he leaned onto one hand so he could palm his crotch, drawing Leonard’s eyes to the bulge in his jeans.

“Anything for you, baby,” Leonard murmured, sliding his thumbs up the line of the suspenders to his shoulders. He pulled them out and let them snap harshly back against his chest, groaning with only a little bit of exaggeration when one caught the edge of a nipple. “You like it when I wear these?”

“God, yes,” Jim breathed, kicking his feet wider apart on the floor. Leonard leaned over him, bent at the waist, to kiss him lightly.

“Good.”

Leonard straightened then, turning his back to Jim while he eased the suspenders off of his shoulders. He let them dangle from his hips and slowly dragged the thermal out of his waist band, exposing his skin one inch at a time. By the time he pulled it all the way off, he could hear Jim’s breathing behind him, ragged with anticipation.

“Damn,” he sighed, sitting up. He pulled off his own t-shirt and made a show of running his hands down his chest.

“Are you making this a competition, Jim?” Leonard asked, but there was no conviction to it. There was never any competition or race or endurance test; it was always just Jim and Leonard, but he liked to ask anyway.

“No,” Jim growled, reaching for the button of his pants. He shimmied out of them and scooted further up the bed to watch from a better position, then motioned for Leonard to continue.

The suspenders still dangling from where they were clipped into his jeans, Leonard pulled them back up onto his shoulders. “I’ll have to wear these more often at functions,” he mused, watching Jim’s hand drift back towards his own crotch.

“We never go to any,” Jim pointed out, his eyes following Leonard’s fingertips as they guided the zipper down on his jeans.

“Shame. We should go to more,” Leonard grinned, pulling the flaps of his jeans open. He pushed them down until the suspenders snapped free and bounced to the floor, his jeans soon to follow. Jim patted the bed beside him, and Leonard crawled up to meet him. They were both still in their underwear, but Leonard was fine with just feeling Jim’s skin for a little while.

Jim maneuvered him onto his back and slid down his side, curling his thigh over Leonard’s. He allowed them to tangle together, warm skin on warm skin and Jim hovered over him, leaning on one elbow while his free hand slid up Leonard’s stomach. His broad, lightly calloused hand slid higher, catching on fine chest hair, palm gliding warmly up and over Leonard’s pectoral. His hand moved all the way up, reverently ghosting over an already puckered nipple and grazing the tips of Leonard’s beard. He trailed his fingers over Leonard’s lips, watching as the doctor playfully mouthed and nipped at them.

Jim’s smile made his eyes crinkle, and he left a too-brief kiss on Leonard’s lips, their beards catching on one another in a way that made Jim rumble with a low chuckle. He ghosted his fingertips down over Leonard’s chin, so light they almost tickled, and then slid down the fur on his neck a little more firmly.

Half drunk on anticipation, Leonard’s groan of frustration was swallowed when Jim lowered his mouth, his tongue sweeping in possessively while his hand smoothed firmly down the side of Leonard’s neck and back over his chest.

The arm Leonard had curled behind Jim’s back tightened, his blunt fingernails digging into Jim’s back. Jim pulled away too briefly, leaving Leonard reaching for more, but Jim closed his eyes and leaned their foreheads together.

“I love you,” he whispered, affectionately sliding his nose along Leonard’s. Sometimes, it blew the doctor’s mind how lucky he was to land someone like Jim. It made his heart swell with adoration when Jim kissed him like this, took his time. Leonard watched his face for a moment before lifting his free hand, curling it gently behind Jim’s neck.

“Likewise,” Leonard replied, pulling Jim back onto his mouth.

Jim took his time, but didn’t tease. They spent a couple of hours working each other up to a frenzy only to back off and hold each other close, wait for the edge to recede, and start back up again.

When Jim finally peeled Leonard’s briefs off, he pressed an open-mouthed kiss over Leonard’s hip that drew a sigh.

When Leonard slid Jim’s boxers down his skinny legs, he never broke eye contact.

Jim positioned himself between Leonard’s legs, and the latter waited patiently while Jim worked him open. Jim didn’t stop until Leonard’s thighs were quivering and his chest was glistening with sweat and his head was thrown back, mouth open wide while he exhaled breathy moans. The fire had gotten low long before, and the room was beginning to cool, so Leonard pulled Jim up to him to keep them both warm.

Jim entered carefully, gently, pressing himself in an inch at a time. When he was fully seated, he brushed his lips over Leonard’s heart, softly, like a prayer, and Leonard answered by sweeping his hands down Jim’s back.

“I love you,” Leonard murmured, pressing his lips behind Jim’s ear. Jim’s answer was a slow pull back, a slow thrust in, with Leonard’s dick trapped between them. Their long build-up and many declines from climax meant that neither of them lasted long.

Jim came with Leonard’s heels digging into his lower back, his teeth clamped down on the thick muscle that sat atop Leonard’s shoulder. Neither moved for a long time, content to just hold one another, until it became too tight for comfort and he slid out with a wince.

They cleaned each other up in the shower, taking the time to soap each other down and trading soft, slow, deep kisses until the hot water ran out. They returned to bed, still naked, and didn’t sleep at all despite how tired they both were. Instead, Leonard cradled Jim to his chest, milking their last moments of peace before they had to go back up to the ship and resume their jobs; Leonard, delivering hypos and keeping the crew alive, and Jim, dragging him away from his post to explore new worlds together.

The cabin quickly became their place, for Leonard never suggested a resort again.


End file.
